Sandra Hassink, MD, MS, FAAP

“Reclaiming the Patient Encounter” and “Obesity”

Dr. Sandra Hassink is the immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 64,000 pediatricians and has spent her professional career caring and advocating for children with obesity. She is a past Board member and the Medical Director for the AAP Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight. She has testified before Congress on childhood obesity and has served as faculty for the “Be Our Voice” advocacy training and at the AAP Legislative Conference.

Dr. Hassink began the weight management clinic at Nemours/AI DuPont Children’s Hospital in 1988. She has collaborated in basic research efforts to identify pathophysiologic mechanisms of obesity, centering on the role of leptin, and has lectured widely in the field of pediatric obesity. In addition, she has authored A Parent’s Guide to Childhood Obesity, Pediatric Obesity: Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment Strategies for Primary Care, and Clinical Guide to Pediatric Weight Management.

Dr. Hassink dedicates a significant portion of her time to advocacy and policy development on obesity prevention and treatment. She has served on the IOM committee on Accelerating Progress on Obesity Prevention and was an author on the Expert Recommendations for Obesity. Dr. Hassink also holds a Master of Science in Pastoral Care and Counseling.